When to replace an "old" car....

[SC Maintenance]

** 2 daughters who recently finished college - so not normal BITOG "advice"

First question - where is "there". Salt or no salt? Winter or no winter? Will she actually need a car for "there" to get to school, or just the occasional convenience trip?

Option 1 - buy something much better. There are very few good $10K cars unless a relative is selling something. A 2013 CR-V with unknown history is worse than what she drives now. Keep the RX and get it fixed for when she wrecks the newer car.

Option 2 - fix what you can and send her on her way. Budget for something better when it quits or gets wrecked. Hope you don't need the budget but you likely will.

Good luck to you and your daughter at school.

 

[JimPghPA]

I forgot to add, clean the intake air sensors with the proper cleaner.

Btw, rebuilt starters are nowear near as reliable as one that was working and refreshed with a good cleaning, new brushes, and lightly lubed in the right areas with a proper grease.

 

[hemitom]

So nobody here knows the car better than you do !
Do you feel it can make the 1800 miles safely and be relatively reliable while she is away ?
I feel your pain if it was my daughter I would be highly concerned as well.
For me the oil leak would not be a big concern take care of the vibration change the solenoids in the transmission and anything that concerns you as an issue if you send her off in the Lexus .

 

[JimPghPA]

If you do a total refresh of all thats required under the hood, replace the radiator if it is more than 12 years old.

Aluminum core radiators are sealed to the tanks by using a rubber gasket between the two. After 12 years that gasket can fail.

 

[ATex7239]

Repair it. Then start to save up for the eventual replacement which will come one day.

 

[supton]

Does she need a car while in college? They sure can be nice but also a hassle depending on the town and what exists for public transport (my daughter sure does not want one where she goes to school). That said, this sounds like a good college car. Once there, leave there for the duration. What's the worst that can happen? you put off its replacement until it's really needed, and the best is that she drives it after college, having defied the odds.

 

[STL_G8GT]

Do you own a car which you have confidence in that she can have? You can drive the RX330 until you find something for yourselves. It gave us great piece of mind knowing she was in a car which was reliable.

Unfortunately we don't have a middle ground car - a 2022 tacoma and a 2025 palisade. Both are needed at home, and neither easy to replace. We live somewhat remote, so we regularly make trips that are 30min one way. We run our own business, so the trips aren't optional. Once she's at school, it'll be the regular 5 mile drives. It's the getting there (once) that makes me nervous - and the end of practical dad mechanic repairs.

** 2 daughters who recently finished college - so not normal BITOG "advice"

First question - where is "there". Salt or no salt? Winter or no winter? Will she actually need a car for "there" to get to school, or just the occasional convenience trip?

Option 1 - replace

Option 2 - send

Good luck to you and your daughter at school.

There is Florida. Here is Colorado. She will live on campus for the first year for sure, and plenty of housing around school. Car will be used for convenience purely.

So nobody here knows the car better than you do !
Do you feel it can make the 1800 miles safely and be relatively reliable while she is away ?
I feel your pain if it was my daughter I would be highly concerned as well.
For me the oil leak would not be a big concern take care of the vibration change the solenoids in the transmission and anything that concerns you as an issue if you send her off in the Lexus .

Thank you- it has been nothing but reliable, I am just anxious about it. Another poster mentioned maybe shipping the car there. That may be the best option, I will have to think about it. We do still need to move her in, but either of our other vehicles could be used for the cross-country trip to do that without worry at all.

 

[STL_G8GT]

Does she need a car while in college? They sure can be nice but also a hassle depending on the town and what exists for public transport (my daughter sure does not want one where she goes to school). That said, this sounds like a good college car. Once there, leave there for the duration. What's the worst that can happen? you put off its replacement until it's really needed, and the best is that she drives it after college, having defied the odds.

Honestly really is the perfect college car. And I hate the idea of saddling her with a savings drain right before she goes (even with us helping.) She has been an exemplary student and wonderful child. We are footing the bill for college, so we too are in a bit of a crunch!

 

[SC Maintenance]

There is Florida. Here is Colorado. She will live on campus for the first year for sure, and plenty of housing around school. Car will be used for convenience purely.

Send the rust bucket to Florida for on campus living. If it quits don't sweat it, she lives on cammpus. Ship it if needed - but prepare for the shipping fiasco which always seem to happen - damage, never actually arrives, and so on.

Save your pennies. If she needs a car next year buy a slightly used one in rust free florida.

 

[IndyIan]

Honestly really is the perfect college car. And I hate the idea of saddling her with a savings drain right before she goes (even with us helping.) She has been an exemplary student and wonderful child. We are footing the bill for college, so we too are in a bit of a crunch!

Drive with her, and then fly home? Maybe scout out a trustworthy local mechanic for the oil change who will spot any significant problem developing?

 

[Astro14]

I would ask the question this way - why does a college student need a car?

If it’s a matter of getting her to/from college, I would look into alternative means.

We put six kids through college. Not one of them needed a car while they were there.

Edit: we did provide a car to the kid at Virginia Tech for our own convenience. Twice, his ride fell through, and the 11 hour round trip wasn’t that much fun, particularly last minute. So, I understand the need for transportation to/from, but it’s a convenience to you, not a necessity for them. I would rather buy a plane ticket and pay for shipping than have my 18 year old daughter drive for three days each way.

 

[STL_G8GT]

Drive with her, and then fly home? Maybe scout out a trustworthy local mechanic for the oil change who will spot any significant problem developing?

That's the plan as of today - new car or same. And the thought of a local mechanic research while I'm there definitely crossed my mind.

I would ask the question this way - why does a college student need a car?

If it’s a matter of getting her to/from college, I would look into alternative means.

We put six kids through college. Not one of them needed a car while they were there.

I know, and my first year I didn't take mine either. That thought has rolled around in my head.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I would ask the question this way - why does a college student need a car?

If it’s a matter of getting her to/from college, I would look into alternative means.

We put six kids through college. Not one of them needed a car while they were there.

I could go either way on this. Ours didn't either then one suddenly needed one for an internship and we were in a bind. Although in this case it seems the OP has one he could keep and send.

It would depend on the school and how good public transportation actually is.

 

[ATex7239]

Honestly really is the perfect college car. And I hate the idea of saddling her with a savings drain right before she goes (even with us helping.) She has been an exemplary student and wonderful child. We are footing the bill for college, so we too are in a bit of a crunch!

If money is tight for everyone, then you’re just gonna have to be OK with the option that cost the least amount of money which sounds like a few repairs and sent her on her way.

 

[STL_G8GT]

If money is tight for everyone, then you’re just gonna have to be OK with the option that cost the least amount of money which sounds like a few repairs and sent her on her way.

I do appreciate this. The bottom line is that if we absolutely had to we could go and buy her a car. A 20K purchase wouldn't break us. But I also don't want to replace a car just because. The 1800 mile distance has me thinking about this differently than if she was 3 hours away. Discussing it here has really helped though. If things went really bad, I could buy something and drive it there or fly there and buy with her... Instead of treating the car replacement like some sort of preventative maintenance against an unknown-to-this-point catastrophic issue.

 

[hemitom]

Drive with her, and then fly home? Maybe scout out a trustworthy local mechanic for the oil change who will spot any significant problem developing?

Excellent idea and thinking on this more this is what I would do !
Not making that trip alone would sure make me feel a whole lot better.

 

[ATex7239]

I do appreciate this. The bottom line is that if we absolutely had to we could go and buy her a car. A 20K purchase wouldn't break us. But I also don't want to replace a car just because. The 1800 mile distance has me thinking about this differently than if she was 3 hours away. Discussing it here has really helped though. If things went really bad, I could buy something and drive it there or fly there and buy with her... Instead of treating the car replacement like some sort of preventative maintenance against an unknown-to-this-point catastrophic issue.

My older kids (one in college, one in high school) also drive older high mileage vehicles. Both still live at home but bottom line is they are going to drive those old vehicles until they can afford to buy something different for themselves or the old vehicles flat out die. Then at that point I will step in and help as needed. I tell my kids all the time, we are not rich and you will have to work to live, so get right with those ideas now.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Another thought. Have you been there? Do you know where she will park. It literally might be a mile from her dorm. This is somewhat normal. The big universities prioritize for the off campus kids to drive, because the whole point of living on campus is not to drive.

All the big schools are set up for kids without cars, UFL, FL State, UCF, UNF, Miami. Her car may just sit in the lot and rust most of the time.

If you haven't been yet, haven't been assigned a dorm or a parking lot, I would wait. Maybe get the one you have fixed while you wait - you will likely need it eventually - maybe next year even.

 

[Kestas]

When to replace your vehicle is generally a personal decision. When you feel it's time - based on math, personal finances, frustration, opportunity - then you replace your vehicle.

 

[thunderfog]

If you can do the things you mentioned that need doing, I'd do it and roll with it. It's a car you know...buying someone else's $10k set of problems isn't going to help you.

And not being a smart-aleck, make sure that AC is good to go for her. Florida is tough in summer, obviously.